Mandatory Shore Leave
by AwesomeLass
Summary: Garrus poked out of cover to snipe the head off of one of mercs Joker had warned him about. His heart sped at the thought of his mate being hunted by these criminals. His omni-tool blipped, automatically syncing itself to a nearby crew member. Shepard was close. And if his readings were correct, her health was going down. Fast.-Story about Citadel DLC, SPOILERS AHEAD!-
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Thanks for checking this out. I have the next eight chapters ready and will post according to when I edit them (not too long). This is all about the Citadel DLC, so there are spoilers all over this story. You've been warned. Inspired because... in spite all its drawbacks... this last DLC was excellent, and a perfect "ending" to this amazing ride. Sadface. OH! Also- no beta. Sorry :)_

_No copyright infringement intended; BioWare owns Mass Effect. And my soul._

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Mandatory Shore Leave

Shepard's office was in complete disarray; towers of neatly stacked datapads waited for attention beside her main private terminal, but the ones who had gained a moment of her time had, for good or ill, become parts of tall mounds of other datapads across the rest of the desk and shelves. She had given Garrus a shamed look the first time he had seen the chaos before the Omega 4 relay, and that mess paled compared to the state the poor desk was in now. Disorganization was not a typical trait among turians, but, apparently, common enough among humans and even more so in asari. Still, while justified, it had surprised him at first to learn that the famed Alliance commander was a disorganized one. What had surprised him that first time, and even now, was that her quirk didn't bother him in the least. Though, he'd never been a very good turian.

In the empty room, his side mandibles flared outwards into an unconcealed smile. He settled his own box of datapads on top of the bare desk beside the long couch, and his small crate of possessions beside the bed. He sat on the edge of what had been his side of the bed for a long time now, even before and after being picked up on Menae, but it had never felt as official as it did now. Their date, as most humans liked to call these things, had been more perfect than he could ever imagine. Garrus had been completely unsure whether Shepard knew what he'd meant when he asked if she was ready to be a one turian kind of woman. He had been in a daze after her answer, but not enough to miss being the better shot. In between all his teasing, she managed to bring back his question, unashamed to tease back, saying that it wouldn't be official until she had a ring on her finger.

Garrus pulled the tiny box from the crate and opened it, resting the vacant thing gingerly in his hand. His smile grew wider as he recalled her reaction. They both knew she had been joking when she mentioned the ring; whether or not there was a wedding, official clan bonding rituals, clan markings and rings, the human and turian had a special and unbreakable bond. They didn't need traditions or acceptance or anything else to make it official, to make it real. They knew their love was beyond that— beyond anything. But he was happy to make it official by human standards. It was also nice see Shepard's face filled with a pleasant surprise for once. It may not have been the typical diamond ring the human vids and records mentioned, but the stone was just as strong, native to Palaven just like him, and the best part of all: it was blue.

Ever since she had come back alive, even before they made any plans to get together, his imagination had gotten the better of him so much so that he spent a while researching human culture and rituals of all kinds. One of the more innocent findings, and one of few he would feel somewhat comfortable enough to admit studying, was the proposal of becoming a bondmate. He'd heard of engagement rings and weddings from a few of his buddies during his C-Sec days, but not once did he learn more than he was told. Not once did he imagine he'd be one of those guys, eager to put a ring on a special girl's finger, eager to be bonded to another forever.

Had the Normandy not been needed to investigate the Ardat-Yakshi monastery, the couple would surely have shared the news and celebrated with a small group of friends. After the grim discovery of what the asari were being turned into, it simply didn't sit right by Shepard to celebrate when there was so much turmoil around her. Garrus had argued, as he always did, that Shepard deserved better. And now, what seemed like a lost battle, seemed rather probable, thanks to Hackett's orders to send in the Normandy to get some well-deserved rest and maintenance. He had a feeling the admiral was also trying to achieve the same for the first human Spectre. Maybe, just maybe, those damned dance lessons he'd been taking would come into play.

His side mandibles quickly clapped themselves back to his face when the door pressure sounded. "Specialist Traynor," Garrus said unable to suppress the surprise in his voice when the woman and two other humans clad in engineer rats outfits came into view.

"Oh, Garrus," the human female said, shaking her head quickly, "Vakarian, sir," she corrected herself and closed her eyes for a second as if chastising herself mentally. "I apologize, I thought I was the last of the crew aboard."

"No," Garrus swiftly closed the small ring box, stuffing it back in the crate, and signaled to his desk and the box of datapads that awaited him. "I thought I could get some work done before heading out."

"Understood, sir," she said sharply. It dawned on her to explain why _she_ was up in the Commander's quarters. "On Admiral Hackett's orders, I'm staying behind to oversee the maintenance process since I was in charge of overseeing the retrofits back on Earth. Erm… just so you know." She signaled the maintenance crew to head back. "We shall come back later, to let you work."

"It's alright, specialist. I'll get out of your hair; I can always do my work elsewhere."

"Are… are you sure? I didn't mean to—"

"It's alright, Traynor. Just let me grab a few things before heading out." The human female nodded and pointed out to the staff cables hanging loosely outside of the bathroom that they could start with. Garrus stood and grabbed one of Shepard's N7 duffle bags, stuffing some clothes from his crate into it, as well as the datapads that he'd just put on his new desk, before loading the strap on his shoulder and taking his leave.

Garrus contemplated heading down to the lower wards, but the list of tasks needed to help the refugees was a long one; he didn't need to add to it until he finished helping those he was already in the process of helping. He tried to think of other places to go to where he could actually get work done, so he tried to remember what hotel the rest of the staff was booked in. He should have known he couldn't just sit in the Captain's quarters during shore leave when it was the Alliance that was doing and ordering maintenance for the old girl.

He was in the middle of sending Liara a message to ask about the hotel, when his omni-tool blipped. It was a message from Shepard, saying they were the proud owners of their very own batcave, which didn't make sense to Garrus at all. A second message came through just seconds after, before he could question Shepard about this batcave thing: a promise to clarify the origin of the terminology of batcave, and an address labeled "Our Citadel Home."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _Hello, everybody. I was hoping to get a beta by the time I posted the next chapters but the girl I was going to work with hasn't replied back. Life happens, I guess. These next two chapters are kind of fillers until we start getting into the heavy DLC spoilers. I took the liberty to change the dynamics of ShepardxGarrus as a couple because the DLC shows us a much more affectionate and carnal side to this wonderful relationship, while the rest of the game does not (at least not to the degree the DLC does). In other words, there's fluff. A special thanks to those of you have followed, reviewed, or added this to your favorites. I can draw you a sketch to say thanks, just send me a message (:_

* * *

The door to their new citadel home opened to reveal a rather impressive suite, with furnishings more lavish than he had ever seen on the Citadel, and deco stylish enough to cause a wealthy asari matriarch to look twice. His, or rather Shepard's, duffle bag slid off his shoulder as if on its own accord, onto the floor. He was drawn to the roaring fireplace, but nearly tripped on a second N7 bag that sat forgotten on the ground just like his. His mandibles twitched in a quiet laugh; Shepard must have had the same reaction as him.

He picked up the bags, and was just catching a glimpse of the expansive kitchen when Shepard appeared. "Garrus!" she pulled down on his armor's chest piece and greeted him with a kiss, taking hold of one of the bags and decidedly guided him somewhere by the hand. "What do you think?" She looked back at him once they reached the top of the stairs, eyes gleaming excitedly.

He brushed his free hand on the railing, admiring their surroundings. "What, this whole thing?" She nodded quickly, unable to contain a grin from ear to ear. It occurred to him she had never had a real home after losing her farm in Mindoir, and while the Normandy had been plenty a home to her, it still was still a ship first. There was nothing he wanted more than for her to be safe and build a nice home together. Still, he would hate to see her make a move she'd regret later. "Are you sure we can afford this?" Garrus asked, hesitantly.

"Positive," she assured him. "Remember I told you Hackett wanted me to drop by Anderson's place? Well, this is his place. Was. He gave it to me. To _us_. Apparently the admirals thought we needed a place to rest in between missions whenever the Normandy needs some TLC."

Garrus felt his jaw slack in equal measures because of the shock that Shepard was finally getting something good out of having to be the savior of the galaxy, and the sheer generosity of the admiral. He had grown to respect Admiral Anderson, whose leadership skills rivaled that of Primarch Victus due to their sense of getting the job done by or outside of the rules if need be. He still remembered the great risk the human took in helping them escape lockdown back when Saren was considered one of their biggest threats. Few turians would have done what the admiral did.

Although grateful, he grew a little sad as Shepard steered him to what must have been the main bedroom. He settled his bag beside Shepard's, taking in the sight of the grandiose plush bed. He was happy to be here, but it was hard not to feel a little guilty knowing Anderson gave Shepard this suite in part because he didn't have the hope of surviving the war. Turians were taught from birth to expect casualties in war, but that didn't mean they didn't secretly hope otherwise.

"It's bittersweet," Shepard said, almost reading his thoughts, "but we may as well get whatever joy and rest we can while we're on shore leave. Not like we have much choice." Garrus agreed. "In the meantime," she continued, as she gathered her duffle bag and organized its contents in the closet, "I should get some groceries."

"Or maybe…" Garrus made a quiet rumble in his throat as he approached Shepard from behind, "we could test out that nice bathtub I spotted." She set her black armor on a free shelf and rested her hands on it, sliding it inside before closing the thin doors. She felt his thick hands caress the length of her waist down to her hips while she exposed the side of her neck just enough.

Garrus took the invitation and grazed his mouth on her naked skin, slowly fluttering his side mandibles against it. "Mmm," she moaned in approval. "Good thinking, big guy."

* * *

_Sneak Peek:_

"_Now, where do you think you're going? Too tired for round two?" he asked sadly, reaching for her as she tried to get out of bed._


	3. Chapter 3

When Garrus felt his mate shift abruptly, it wasn't arrogance that awoke him to thinking Shepard wanted another round, this time on the bed— not really. But whenever they had time, she simply couldn't get enough of him, and he couldn't get enough of her. And, Reapers be damned, when Shepard wanted him, he sure as hell wasn't going to refuse. He opened his eyes to watch as she craned her neck to give him a peck on his browplate.

If ever there was something turians could learn from humans and asari, was the physical ways the species showed affection. Though he was still getting used to such a drastic change in his life personally, having spent a lengthy amount of time aboard the Normandy and becoming a human's boyfriend, he'd easily adopted many mannerisms from the species. For better or worse.

"Now, where do you think you're going? Too tired for round two?" he asked sadly, reaching for her as she tried to get out of bed.

"Later, I promise." She gave him a light laugh. "Have to pick up food and run a few errands before we settle in here. I got a message from Traynor. She thinks we'll be on shore leave for at least a week in order to get the ship in top shape. Can you believe that?"

"It's hard to." He watched as Shepard turned away from him and pulled on a gray t-shirt; he was always entranced by the way the cloth glided easily down her sides and bunched up at her wide hips until she straightened it down. He'd always love her body no matter what, but with curves that could put any female turian, asari and quarian to shame, it was hard not to want to explore her every minute of the day. And night. And any time in between. His throat growled at the prospect, but he kept his mind in check. After all, he had a lot of work to do and he was sure Shepard's biotics would do nasty things to her if she didn't eat soon. At the very least, _Shepard_ would do nasty things to him if she didn't eat soon. Garrus sighed when she tugged her pants up, sheathing two of his favorite things from view. He reluctantly followed her example in getting dressed and headed down after grabbing some datapads.

"You have new messages," the home's VI informed.

"Yeah, yeah," he heard Shepard say while he climbed down the last step. Garrus caught one last sight of her as she disappeared somewhere past the spacious kitchen. He sat down on one of the couches in front of the fireplace he had originally noticed and gave his full attention to the work ahead. At least, that's what he had intended to do. His eyes shot upwards to the tall ceiling and the rest of his surroundings to the vast emptiness of the place, suddenly missing the coziness of the Normandy. The windows here were far too large; they were too much of a hazard. "Garrus," Shepard began as she made her way to him, "Joker wants to meet me at some swanky sushi place for dinner to talk about whatever the techs are doing to the ship. I know you're drowning in work, so would you like me to bring you something or…"

He wouldn't mind turian sushi— the latest craze in turian-human fusions wasn't all that bad, if he recalled. Expect that if Joker hadn't invited him it was because it was Alliance business, and although Garrus wouldn't want to intrude on the ship's captain and its helmsman anyway, he was just glad not have to listen to him complain about whatever he was going to make Shepard listen through. "Just don't grab the wrong sauce this time, please. That green paste was a nightmare. I don't know how you humans can eat that."

"Oh yeah," Shepard sniggered, "the wasabi sauce incident. And believe me, most of us don't know how either." She took a datapad in hand and brushed the edge of it with a finger before setting it back in its place. She giggled quietly; Garrus judged she was probably thinking his stack of work was beginning to look as messy as hers. It wasn't that far from the truth. "You know Garrus, there's a perfectly good, _clean_, desk just over there, waiting to be used."

"Thanks," he said earnestly, "I think I'll do that."

"Good," she said, rushing up the stairs, "just don't conquer the bar it's right next to until I'm back."

Whoever designed the place certainly knew exactly what he was doing. "Do all human females like to torture their boyfriends as much as you?"

"Oh, you love it, really." With a smile and a wink, she was back in the bedroom to change. Garrus took a last glance around him deciding it was best he took over that desk before she did, and settled himself in the office Shepard mentioned. He let his mandibles slack for a moment when he looked at the datapads and sighed; anyone keeping that much work in datapads instead of his omni-tool must have a ridiculous load of work. He sure did.

Save the relaxing crackling flames, it was a very quiet room. And although there was only one exit and entry point, it had the advantage of lacking windows. He stilled himself for a moment, a bit appalled his last train of thought sounded so much like Legion's.

Garrus had no idea when his mind had actually gotten back to work, he only knew it had because his concentration was broken when Shepard peeked her head in to say she was looking forward to cracking some bottles open and testing the bed upon her return. It had taken the resolve of a man with _expert _self-control not to divulge in the thoughts caused by Shepard's teasing, but he had to focus. He finished organizing the latest of the Primarch's support fleet for Earth along with Aria's last group of thugs, rather quickly, thanks to Admiral Hackett for giving him enough clearance to get the job done without any red tape.

He was in the middle of trying to help Tactus get more levo and dextro and provisions from the Council and wherever else when a call came through his omni-tool. It was Joker. Did he need Garrus to help the techs work on the Normandy's gun battery? No, the Alliance barely touched that part of the ship. And with good reason! Was Shepard running late? No, he would have contacted her not him.

"Garrus, hey" Joker said hurriedly, "look, uh, I don't know how to tell you this but, there's been an emergency. Better gear up, buddy; Shepard needs help. We just got ambushed." By the time Joker had finished his last sentence, Garrus was already out the door with a black widow at his back, ready to set his crosshairs on whoever had been stupid enough threaten his girl.

_Sneak Peek: _

_ Garrus poked out of cover to snipe the head off of one of mercs Joker had warned him about. His heart sped at the thought of his mate being hunted by these criminals. His omni-tool blipped, automatically syncing itself to a nearby crew member. Shepard was close. And if his readings were correct, her health was going down. Fast.  
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_(Yes, this sneak peak is the same as the paragraph I put in for the summary… MUAHAHAAAAA! No but seriously, now the story gets good.)_


End file.
